Three Men, Some Women, and a Bear

     I've just returned, with my son Davey, from several splendid days at the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, in Southern California.  There we did a couple of things neither of us had ever done before.  We picked a couple of oranges from the tree (one in the mission at San Juan Capistrano) and ate them.  Rendered the same honors to a lemon from the tree in the backyard of the house we were staying in.  Walked along the beach on the Pacific.  Saw the Sierra Madre mountains in the distance.

     I must say, though, that I'm starting to grow used to a phenomenon that nobody one or two generations ago could have foreseen.  When I say that I'm getting used to it, I don't want to imply that there's anything ordinary about the Torrey Honors Institute or its students.  On the contrary -- I've visited a lot of campuses in the last few years, including Princeton and Yale, and at only one school, the much maligned Patrick Henry College in Virginia, did I encounter quite the same combination of intelligence, maturity, broad reading, and sharp analysis of current cultural diseases, as I encountered at Biola.  What I mean is that, while most schools have abandoned any notion of a coherent course of study required of all students, and while old Catholic colleges disdain Aquinas and old Protestant colleges disdain Luther and Calvin, students at Torrey -- and at a few upstart new schools, both Catholic and Protestant -- are reading several hundred pages of Thomas, combing the whole Divine Comedy several times over for Oxford-style tutorials, immersing themselves in ancient philosophy, in patristics both Latin and Greek, in Pascal, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Burke, and so on.  I am absolutely persuaded -- and to our shame let it be spoken -- that the typical undergraduate at Torrey has read more Aquinas and has studied his thought more carefully than has the typical bishop in the American church, as the typical undergraduate at Patrick Henry College knows more about Constitutional history than does many a judge warming a federal bench.

     These students are taking up, with great enthusiasm, what elsewhere has been abandoned.  It's a remarkable sight.  Also remarkable, at Torrey and at other new Christian colleges and programs, is the strong presence of young people who have spent most or all of their lives around people who loved them and who gave them a clear vision of the world and man's place in it, kindling their hearts with love for truth, goodness, and beauty, because these are all one in God.  I speak, of course, of homeschoolers.  Five minutes in the company of such young people should be enough not only to dispel any nonsense about their not being "socialized," whatever that bit of techno-jargon is supposed to mean.  It is also enough to make you wish that all young people were so cheerful and good -- and sharp.  It was the students, you see, that had worked for my invitation, and the students, almost entirely, who handled all the logistics of our longish stay, arranging the publicity, the venue for the talk, the class I taught in, the house for our use, a rental car, maps for Davey and me to find our way to the beach and other places a boy might like, breakfast food and snacks in the house, lunches on campus, and people to meet.  Professional organizers could not have done it better, nor could they have made us feel half so welcome.

     They told me that Mr. Richard Dawkins, the atheist curmudgeon, was mightily offended that a place like the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles (Biola, that is), should even exist.  I do not know whether they in turn were mightily offended that Mr. Richard Dawkins should exist.  It seems they were youthfully bemused by it, knowing that they could, if he dared to meet them in debate, blast him out of the room with learned discussions of the philosophy about which he knows so little.  They also told me that their director, Dr. John Mark Reynolds (who has written for Touchstone several times; check out the Archives!), used to compare Torrey with Saint Anne's, from C. S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength.  It seems an apt comparison to me.  I remember that at one point in that prescient novel one of the Saint Anne's characters, I think the irascible skeptic MacPhee, urged Ransom to go on the offensive against the humanity destroying scientists and social planners at the N.I.C.E.  Ransom's response was disarmingly realistic: "We are three men, some women, and a bear."  Not much of an army, that.  But the battle is the Lord's, and in that case, three men, some women, and a bear, or a couple of fishermen and a tentmaker, or some very fine young people in the suburbs of Los Angeles, can move mountains.  May they do so in fact!

Comments

[Susanne B.]

I very much appreciate your comments about homeschooled students. In 1997, I stopped teaching at the college level (Point Loma Nazarene University) in order to educated our four children at home. Most of my colleagues were shocked and rather negative about my doing so, afraid that I was going to produce social misfits or anti-intellectuals, I suppose.

But lately as I spoke with a former colleague, he cheerfully "ate his words" (his phrasing) regarding homeschooling. He has now taught delightful students who have been educated by parents at home, and he had nothing but good to say of the homeschool movement. And I've found other reactions at the PLNU campus to be the same. Their concern in 1997 has been replaced with commendation in 2008, and I'm thankful that I gave up my "dream job" of university teaching in order to educate my children in subjects that the schools in my area no longer teach: Latin, ancient history and cultures, classical literature, and citizenship. My children love history, delight in science, and are eager learners in almost every discipline. Beyond that, they enjoy engaging adults in conversation and learning from others in a respectful way that bodes well for their future university experiences.

So thank you for your comments, from both a former university instructor and from a homeschool veteran of eleven years. It's nice to hear the homeschooling community praised rather than torn down which is still a common reaction from the media.

[DBP+]

I believe the citation in question comes from Ransom, the Director, in response to Merlin's questions as to why they don't storm the stronghold of their enemy. Merlin, undiscouraged, reminds the Director that there was a time when Logres was only himself, another man, and two boys--and one of them a churl.

Since it will be the Powers of Heaven doing the actual fighting, either company, faithful to their Lord and His call, will be sufficient in the end.

[Jessica Snell]

It's a pleasure to hear you speaking so well of my alma mater! (And, in this case, calling my old school my "nourishing mother" is actually pretty appropriate.) The four years I spent in Torrey - in addition to introducing me to Touchstone - introduced me to hundreds of pages of the most beautiful philosophy, poetry and stories ever written. I'll always be grateful that I attended school there. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit; I know there are quite a few of us alumni looking forward to hearing your lecture via podcast, once they post it!

[Jessica Snell]

It's a pleasure to hear you speaking so well of my alma mater! (And, in this case, calling my old school my "nourishing mother" is actually pretty appropriate.) The four years I spent in Torrey - in addition to introducing me to Touchstone - introduced me to hundreds of pages of the most beautiful philosophy, poetry and stories ever written. I'll always be grateful that I attended school there. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit; I know there are quite a few of us alumni looking forward to hearing your lecture via podcast, once they post it!

[Jessica Snell]

Ah, forgive the double post! My computer hiccuped.

[Aretemom]

Thank you for your comments, Mr. Esolen. Homeschoolers need more positive feedback. There is such a general misuderstanding of homeschoolers among many Christians (for example check out the Out of Ur blog over at Christianity Today - most commenters think leaving the public school system is some kind of sin).

John Mark Reynolds at Biola has been such an inspiration for many of us trying to "save Western civilization" through homeschooling. Biola also offers wonderful online classes for high-schoolers, as do many others such as Escondido Tutorial Service.

[Bill R]

Tony, this week Biola is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Long may it prosper! Those who complain of the scandal of the evangelical mind really need to take a close look at what colleges such as Biola are doing.

(I only regret that I was unable to travel to Biola last week to meet you.)

[labrialumn]

If only BIOLA weren't so firmly (and censoriously) on Dawkin's side. The censorship and elimination of the institute looking into intelligent design (which is still evolution) and the elimination of the related faculty positions by the Dawkinsesque attack dogs on the BIOLA faculty shows that you can't save a college by changing the president, and that whatever good might yet remain at BIOLA, it is fading and is doomed to die. I sure wouldn't send kids there.

Dawkins ought to LOVE BIOLA, it is one of his biggest fans.

[Bill R]

Labrialumn, I believe you're confusing Baylor with Biola.

[Tony Esolen]

Indeed, Labri, you are thinking of Baylor. I can't let the comment stand. Biola University maintains the closest of friendships with Touchstone contributing editor Philip Johnson, he who tears to shreds the rhetorical pastiches of Darwinists. An apology is in order ...

[Josiah A. Roelfsema]

For those of us who have been homeschooled and wish to homeschool our children in the future, could you recommend a good introductory Latin grammar? I have found Wheelock's Latin. Advice anyone?

[maggie]

Sigh...I coulda gone to Torrey.

Luckily, I ended up at Patrick Henry instead. Glad to be counted with the St. Anne's crowd, anyhow :-)

[Susan]

We have enjoyed the Memoria Press Latin series, beginning with Prima Latina (for very young students), and followed by Latina Christiana I & II. Instructional DVDs are available for each level.

Henle Latin is a good option for older students, and Memoria Press offers some nice study guides to supplement the Henle text.

http://www.memoriapress.com/descriptions/index_latin.htm

[Willam Fehringer]

Josiah,
Wheelock is the standard text, but for any student at the level where he can use it, it's too slowly paced. Reginald Foster, the pope's latinist, recommended a textbook to me, but I'll have to check what it is on Monday. He also recommends the Gildersleeve & Lodge grammar and Lewis & Short dictionary, for what it's worth. The Logos School and Veritas Academy have been publishing primary school latin curricula which I suspect are good.

[William Rush]

Tony,
I recommend the Cambridge Latin Course which is especially good for teenagers. A lot of the material relates to everyday Roman life - sometimes involving the humorous. Interposed with the grammar,which is logically & carefully built up, is information about Roman pastimes,family life, miltary life etc. A friend of mine has a son using this at school and she says 'he loves Latin'.

[Nick Milne]

The Cambridge Course was the one they used to introduce us to Latin back in the day. Some kids at the high school next door would come over and teach us some out of the first volume two times a week (for we were only fourth-graders), and it lit a small fire under a number of us to continue with it. We ended up using it again in high school, though quite a bit more than just the first volume, and it was a fine way to do it. If I recall correctly, around the third volume (but possibly as early as the second), they start introducing the student to Roman poetics and how to deal with same, using Martial and Catullus as primary examples.

[ropata]

My family taught me that I was loved.
My schoolmates taught me that I was hated.
Homeschool if you are at all able, lest your child learn to 'socialise' with barbarians.

[Magistra]

Latin texts: For young children I would recommend Barbara Bell's Minimus series, about a Roman mouse (Cambridge). For middle-schoolers, try either the Cambridge Latin Course or Ecce Romani. High school students may also enjoy the Oxford Latin Course, which I also recommend for adult learners. Wheelock is very good, but can be dry, and is grammar-based rather than reading-based. I must tell you that Latin Christiana is _not_ what I would use. In all cases (pun not intended!), be sure you get the North American version of the text. (We use different case order than the Brits).

[Aretemom]

My high-schoolers like Cambridge Latin, but another good text is Lingua Latina by Hans Orberg (not as visually appealing, but a very good book). The Big Book of Lively Latin is good for younger ones, and Minimus by Cambridge is a fun supplement for that age.

[Janet]

Dr. Esolen,
I hope you have a similar experience when you speak at TAC in April. My daughter just finished reading Dante for class and is looking forward to your visit. She chose to read your translation and says it is the best.

With regards to the missions, whenever we go to see her, we visit as many missions as possible. We've been to San Juan Capistrano twice.

AMDG,
Janet

[anon]

I'm anonymous because of the personal nature of the following, but I want to chime in about homeschooling, which has provided my daughter with a benefit I never expected. She's sixteen, and while she is beautiful and healthy (and not overweight), she doesn't have a fashionable body shape. I just found out, talking to her, that it bothers her not a bit. She's happy and comfortable with the way she looks.

I put this down to homeschooling and the absence of a television at our house. She hasn't been raised to obsess about her looks, or to think she's ugly if she doesn't look like a tiny percentage of women. She's free of all that.

[Lindsay Marshall]

Thank you so much for highlighting the Torrey Honors Institute and recognizing the importance of the work of the dedicated faculty there! It was a bit of a nostalgic thing to read about someone's visit to the program that meant so very much to me.

However, as an almuna of the Institute, I must insist on reminding the readers that while it does draw in a sizeable number of homeschooled students, it is not exclusively a homeschool program. Many Torrey students attended public or private schools and did just fine at Torrey. :)

And, as a high school teacher, I feel compelled to remind readers of the benefits of the traditional classroom. Many of my students are bright, critical thinkers who are well-adjusted spiritually and academically, and the community of the school has done much for them in terms of aiding their growth and offering them opportunities. And as a screenwriter and wife of a film teacher, I have to say that I know plenty of students who are immersed in modern television and film culture who are happy with their bodies, and a number of students as well as friends from a homeschooled, anti-media family who have severe body image issues and struggle with eating disorders.

What seems to matter at the end of the day is exactly what Torrey is about: seeking Truth. And that can happen in any setting. We simply need to be wise enough to recognize which setting works best for our individual children.

[labrialumn]

I managed to confuse BIOLA with Baylor. My apologies to BIOLA and the faculty at BIOLA!!!!!!!

[Rachel Motte]

Dr. Esolen, I think we enjoyed your visit as much as you did! Your lecture was just what this alumna needed. I hope you will come back!

[Bill R (a different one)]

Thanks for the post! I am an alum of THI and wish that I could have attended your lecture (alas, Rochester, NY is too far a drive). Thanks for giving such a glowing report. I often think that even Biola itself doesn't quite comprehend what a jewel it possesses in THI. It was a truly transformative experience for me, helping me recognize that the Christianity of the present is but the tip of a rich, brilliant, beautiful, and holy body. It's been an indispensable aid as I've slowly been wending my way through the academy. It's been amazing to me how many philosophy grad students haven't read much Plato (what do they teach them in these schools?).

Bonum, Veritas, Pulcher!

[Bill R (a different one)]

"Saw the Sierra Madre mountains in the distance."

Just a geographical quibble: The Sierra Madres aren't in CA (they're in Mexico). You probably saw the Angeles, San Gabriel, or San Bernadino mountains.

[Bill R]

"You probably saw the Angeles, San Gabriel, or San Bernadino mountains."

If the view was from the beach at San Juan Capistrano, then the mountains most likely were the Santa Anas. (Just a geographical quibble!) We DO have a lot of mountain ranges around here!

[David Gross]

As a Christian school educator and parent of two Torrey students, I am steadily amazed and grateful at the amazing mentoring and depth of education at Torrey. It's challenging me to consider adopting similar approaches at the high school level.

[David Gross]

As a Christian school educator and parent of two Torrey students, I am steadily amazed and grateful at the amazing mentoring and depth of education at Torrey. It's challenging me to consider adopting similar approaches at the high school level.

[David Gross]

As a Christian school educator and parent of two Torrey students, I am steadily amazed and grateful at the amazing mentoring and depth of education at Torrey. It's challenging me to consider adopting similar approaches at the high school level.

[Tony Esolen]

Hi Bill,

The view was north / northeast, from Santiago Canyon Road -- also from La Mirada itself. Looking at the map, I now see that the mountains may have been much closer than I'd thought. You have a Mt. Baden-Powell there that is almost 10,000 feet high ...

[Bill R]

Tony, Santiago Canyon Road runs through the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, but at that point you're too close to view the Santa Ana peaks. Looking N-NE from La Mirada you see the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mt. Baldy, the largest peak visible from the Los Angeles Basin (and just above the town of Sierra Madre, a possible source of your confusion). From La Mirada, the San Gabriels are only about 30 miles distant. When you consider that they rise almost 10,000 feet from the sea level of the Los Angeles Basin immediately below them, they really are a dramatic sight on a clear day.

[Will]

Just checked my notes and Reginald Foster prefers Henle for teaching latin, though with reservations. He much prefers his own methods where he teaches directly out of the dictionary. I learned a lot about his technique taking his summer course but it requires a much higher level of latin proficiency than most have. I do know one man who is condensing Foster's techniques into a textbook format, so far with stunning success. I look forward to that textbook's publication.

[Sean Patterson]

Mr. Esolen,

I am glad you were able to visit the Institute. I graduated from there 8 years ago now and it is amazing to see that the core ideals of the Institute have only grown stronger, as outlined from your observations.

Torrey has shown me how to develop my whole soul, which is good considering I'm a Software Engineer by trade 8^D

[Joi]

I wish I could have come to your lecture, Dr. Esolen, but had a previous church engagement.

I loved my time at Torrey, and wouldn't exchange it for the world(I still go back for lectures and discussion groups when I can). I came in to the program as a stubborn, fearful, angry, prideful young woman. I learned humility (not enough, but still working on that one!)and joy, and began to learn to search for and practice goodness, truth, and beauty.

[Colorado Mountain Man]

We DO have a lot of mountain ranges around here!

Just another geographical quibble: Them's hills! Come out my way to see real mountains!

My daughter's a student at Biola (though not in Torrey). She loves it there, and I love her being there.

[Bill R]

"Them's hills! Come out my way to see real mountains!"

Sorry, Mountain Man. I grew up in Wyoming, where we called the Colorado peaks our "foothills." Besides, when you start at mile up (in Denver), the Rockies don't have that much of an advantage over Southern California, where we start at sea level!

[melissa g]

I was blessed with hearing Esolen's lecture last week, and, having stumbled upon this post, would like to throw in my two cents, as a current Torrey student, that a public-schooled kid can be as enthralled and invigorated by exceptional presentation of Truth as any home-schooled one can. May God bless every ear to which words from mouths like Esolen's fall on!

[Nicole]

Dr. Esolen,

Upon telling many friends and family about your very enjoyable and insightful lecture, they've urged me to find out if there is a recording that I may be able to get my hands on. Would this be possible?

Either way, thank you for coming out!
May the Lord bless you and keep you!

[Marcy]

Dr. Esolen,

Although overall I agree with your appraisal of homeschoolers, I'd like to say I know what they mean by some not being "socialized" -- because I was one of those people. It's not often a problem, because most parents who care enough to homeschool their children have relatively healthy families. I have no doubt that the public school system creates problems far more often than homeschooling! But it can happen. My church made me feel loved, not my family. My siblings and I were not "socialized" because we learned only our own family's very dysfunctional culture. We had trouble when we started at Christian school just fitting in with lovely, bright Christian kids. I wouldn't want to "fit in" with secular society, but at that point in my life I couldn't have ministered to anyone in it either -- I was just too weird and insecure. And compared to some of my siblings, I got off pretty easy. But, like I said, I don't think that's a common problem.

[Steve Thomas]

For those enough not fortunate enough to have access to the Torrey lecture, it looks like the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) has posted a similar lecture by Dr. Esolen: How to Put Your Soul on Ice: Freedom and Autonomy in Dante's Divine Comedy.

Enjoy!

Steve

[Jennifer Wright]

Hello, Dr. Esolen,

It encourages me much to see you speak so highly of both Biola and THI. I'm another alum, having had the privilege of studying with several who have already commented here. I had two homeschooled THI roommates, and I appreciate all they taught me about their experience, and heartily concur with your assessment of the richness of the homeschool experience.

However, the same could be said of me and many others, and I attended public school for all grades. My husband, also a BU/THI alum, attended Private Christian School from K-12 and I would also make the be quick to describe him the same way. One of the things I love so much about Torrey was the fact that so many of us from such diverse backgrounds found both validation and challenge in our THI experience.

Torrey remains to this day, 6 years since my graduation, one of my most endeared seasons of my life, and one of the decisions I value most deeply. I find myself often missing it, and repeatedly offering my thanks to God for all that it did to teach and challenge me. I am so glad for you that you were able to catch a glimpse of the gift so many of us have had the joy of receiving. I thank you for encouraging us with such kind words!

[J McKinsey]

Dr. Esolen,

Thank you again for coming to THI; I very much enjoyed the lecture. I'm also happy to see that you thoroughly approve of homeschooling; Biola has a homeschool outreach program called Biola Youth. We have several programs available for homeschooled junior high and high schoolers, one of which is THI's sister program, Torrey Academy, which I'm in charge of. We get to "do" Torrey with teenagers, and it's quite an adventure! We in fact just decided to switch from Sayer's translation of The Divine Comedy to yours for use in our 12th grade class next fall. We are doubly excited to do so now that we have heard you speak about Dante. Our website is youth.biola.edu/ta if you're interested in seeing more of what we do.

[Emily]

Dr. Esolen,
Thank you so much for your kind words regarding our program. Being here, one sometimes has a tendency to forget what we are, and it is so nice to have someone remind me. I so appreciated being able to talk with you after your lecture (perhaps you recall me - your last two questions) and the honesty and openness in answering me. I hope that you are able to visit again sometime.
: )